Cheeseburgers and fries might look tempting, but eating some broccoli or leafy greens first could help people battle obesity and heart disease, says a new study .

Eating more plant-based foods, which are rich in substances called phytochemicals, seems to prevent oxidative stress in the body, a process associated with obesity and the onset of heart disease, according to the study.

To get enough of these protective chemicals, researchers suggest eating plant-based foods such as leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes at the start of a meal. Oxidative stress occurs when the body produces too many damaging free radicals and lacks enough anti-oxidants or phytochemicals to counteract them.

Because of excess fat tissue and certain enzymes that are more active in overweight people, being obese can actually trigger the production of more free radicals, too.

Using a phytochemical index, which compares calories consumed from plant-based foods with the overall number of daily calories, could remind people to get enough phyto-chemicals during meals and snacks, said Heather K. Vincent, University of Florida (UF), who led the study.

“We need to find a way to encourage people to pull back on fat and eat more foods rich in micronutrients and trace minerals from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and soy,” said Vincent.

“Fill your plate with colourful, low-calorie, varied-texture foods derived from plants first. By slowly eating phytochemical-rich foods such as salads with olive oil or fresh-cut fruits before the actual meal, you are likely to reduce the overall portion size, fat content and energy intake.”

“In this way, you’re ensuring that you get the variety of protective, disease-fighting phytochemicals you need and controlling caloric intake,” added Vincent.

Microsoft is banking on Windows 7 to breathe new life into a PC world where most computer users are running XP — an operating system that was released in the early days of the Bush administration.

Experts expect that PC users will change their operating system for the first time in about eight years when Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) launches Windows 7 on Oct. 22.

Microsoft’s last operating system, Windows Vista, was a disaster when it was released in 2007. Vista was plagued by bugs, software incompatibilities, sluggishness and annoying security alerts. The episode nearly destroyed the tech giant’s reputation with consumers.

“The stakes for Microsoft are astronomically high after the Vista debacle,” said Scott Anthony, managing director of Innosight Ventures, a venture capital and consulting firm. “There is a lot of hunger for computing power around the world, and this release will be a real test for Microsoft.”

Positive reviews for Windows 7 have been pouring in. Computer experts say that Windows 7 is good — if not perfect — and has a shot at eventually usurping XP as the world’s most prevalent operating system.

Right now 71.5% of PCs are still running XP, according to OS market share tracker netmarketshare.com, while 18.6% of PCs are running Windows Vista.

“There was lots of negativity around Vista, and Microsoft lost a lot of goodwill with its customers,” said Ken Allen, a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price who manages a tech fund that includes Microsoft as one of its holdings.

Microsoft has aggressively been rolling out products and services (think Bing and Zune HD) to boost its sales, which have declined in the previous two quarters. Its third quarter ended March 31 marked the first time sales fell in Microsoft’s 23-year history as a public company.

“The ‘bad will’ that Microsoft engendered could be reversed if Windows 7 is well received,” said Allen.

It appears Microsoft is on the right road. Demand for new computers is starting to heat up again, and many users are looking for an operating system upgrade. Windows 7′s release coincides with holiday season shopping. With the economy showing signs of recovery, consumers may be more willing to loosen their purse strings.

The CBI on Thursday searched offices of the Department of Telecom in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum to some of the new players.

CBI sources said a team of its sleuths were conducting searches at the Sanchar Bhawan here after registering a case in this connection last evening.

The sources said that all records pertaining to the allocation of spectrum to new players in January 2008 will be taken to see if there were irregularities in the process.

None of the DoT official was available for comments.

In 2008, eight new players were given licences along with bundled 4.4 MHz spectrum to start mobile services.

The telecom ministry had come under attack for doling out spectrum very cheap compared to its actual market value.

CVC had recommended a CBI probe into the procedures followed for selecting companies for giving 2G spectrum. Eyebrows were raised when two of the new players — Unitech Wireless Services and Swan Telecom — sold part of their stake at huge premium within days of getting the licences.

The government had given telecom licence along with start up spectrum at Rs 1,651 crore for pan-Indian services.

The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, told Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, claimant for the Chief Minister’s post in AP, to “leave it to me.”

The advise came during a brief meeting that Mr Reddy had with the Congress president on Thursday.

Addressing a brief press conference, Mr Reddy said that Mrs Gandhi had told him that a decision would be taken at an appropriate time. “You leave everything to me,” Mr Reddy quoted Mrs Gandhi as telling him.

Mr Reddy said “I have faith in her.”

Asked about the meeting, Mr Reddy said, “We discussed state politics.” He was accompanied by the Congress AP incharge and Union minister, Mr Veerappa Moily, and Mr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, family friend and government adviser.

The meeting came amid speculation that the Congress high command will take a decision on holding the long delayed Congress Legislature Party meeting in Andhra Pradesh now that the elections to the three states are out of the way.

Mr Reddy had arrived at the national capital on Wednesday for the first time after the demise of his father and chief minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

The Kadapa MP had said that he had come to attend the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on finance.

Mr Reddy accompanied by Mr Rao, met Mr Moily at his office on Wednesday and discussed the political situation in the state for around 30 minutes.

According to sources, the two Congress MPs may meet the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and other senior leaders of the Congress during their stay here in the next two days.

The Congress spokesperson, Ms Jayanti Natarajan, refused to reply to questions on when a decision for conducting the CLP meet would be taken and only said: “This is not the forum for taking a decision on when and where to hold the CLP meet.”

The chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, Mr Nandan M. Nilekani, said Andhra Pradesh would be the flagship state in implementing the UID project.

Mr Nilekani met the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, on Wednesday and discussed the project. He also held a review meeting with the state officials on integration of the state’s database with the proposed UID data.

Mr Nilekani was highly appreciative of Andhra Pradesh’s technology initiatives, which he said would become the model for other states to implement.

The state has been using the “iris technology” to provide ration cards to five crore people and has huge a database of old age pensions, he said.

Sources said the Chief Minister, during his meeting with Mr Nilekani, observed that the state was way ahead in building database and using online services in welfare schemes.

The UID authority has decided to set up a regional office in Hyderabad which will cater to Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

Asked when the first UIDs will roll out, Mr Nilekani said the target was 12-18 months since August 15. Maintaining that the actual cost of the project is yet to be estimated, he said the Centre and states had been spending huge amounts for public services and the UID would help improve delivery mechanisms and prevent misuse.

Korean giant Samsung has launched an ultra-sleek Netbook N140 powered by newly launched Windows 7 OS in the Indian market.

Targetting both home and enterprise users, Samsung N140 comes with a 10.1-inch LED Backlit display and a spillproof keyboard. The Netbook supports 11 hours with a 6 cell battery and has 250GB hard disc drive.

In addition, the Netbook promises high multimedia experience and SRS effects that produce clear High Definition 3D sound. Weighing 1.27 kg, N140 packs a vast array of the latest wireless communication technology and data-sharing capabilities. Other key features include three USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 3-in-1 memory card reader.

According to Ranjit Singh Yadav, Director — IT & Telecom, Samsung India Electronics, “The Samsung Netbook N140, with its features like LED Backlit display, digital motion camera, high quality SRS Wow sound and enhanced battery life is set to redefine user experience in Netbooks.”

Priced at Rs 24,990, Samsung N140 comes with a 1 year warranty.

The axe is haunting Mahindra Satyam staff, months after they were assured that there would not be any layoffs. On Monday afternoon, many Satyam’s employees on the Virtual Pool Program (VPP) of the company were sent a formal notice of two months by e-mail.

The mail dated October 19, a copy of which is with The Times of India, reads, “In our earlier communication dated June 11, 2009, you were placed on VPP for a period of six months and accordingly, your Virtual Pool Leave is due to end on December 18, 2009. It is rather unfortunate that due to the continued economic constraints and business outlook, we do not anticipate that we will have the ability to recall many of our valued associates within the VPP period.”

On June 11, the company announced the creation of the virtual pool, placing nearly 8,000 associates on the bench. “The surplus employees will be put in the VPP and paid basic salary, PF and medical insurance,” Vineet Nayyar, CEO, Tech Mahindra, had said even as he ruled out any retrenchment.

However, with the six-month period of the VPP set to lapse in December, the company has served a two-month notice, as required by the employment contract, reportedly on over 5,000 employees. Sources told that the company did not have enough projects on hand and was not able to recall many associates.

A Mahindra Satyam spokesperson told that the company had absorbed about 1,500 associates from the virtual pool. The spokesperson also denied that the company was “laying off” people, even as the mail speaks of “separation of employment”.

“We have given these employees an option of availing outplacement services. We will try to help them to the best of our abilities,” he said.

The Nano, the world’s cheapest car, appears to have developed a technical snag. Three cases have been reported of the car developing short circuit near the combination switch in the car’s steering column, igniting small fires. The company has called two of them back for repairs.

The company has now decided to carry out pre-delivery audit of the car’s electrical circuits and also check out cars that are already with customers. It is not, however, calling these check-ups a “recall”. Recalls are done by companies when they detect a snag in a batch of vehicles that could lead to a compromise in safety norms.

“We do not believe that this is generic and we are not considering any recall. However, a pre-emptive check may be carried out on cars that are to be handed over or those that are with customers, purely as a precautionary measure,” a spokesman for Tata Motors told TOI from Mumbai.

The problems, that are similar in nature, have been noticed in three cars — one each in Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Delhi. The cars have seen smoke emanate from near the steering column area, even when parked with ignition switched off, following which some of the area around it has melted due to heat.

Giving details of the problem, the Tata Motors spokesman said, “There was a minor emanation of smoke, following which there was localised meltdown of some of the wires in the combination switch area probably because of a short circuit.”

The spokesman said while the car damaged in Ahmedabad had already been repaired, the vehicle in Lucknow was being repaired now. “The Delhi customer is yet to give his car to us,” he said.

Industry analysts hoped that the glitch, if generic, is sorted out as soon as possible. Nano, they pointed out, is planned for overseas markets too. Pawan Kumar, the customer in Delhi, said his Nano caught fire while it was parked and blamed it on a “manufacturing fault”. “I have lodged a complaint with the police as I feel a manufacturing defect is responsible for this mishap,” Kumar, for whom this is a first four-wheeled vehicle, said.

Raza Rizvi, the customer in Lucknow whose car also had a similar problem, also said that the problem happened after the vehicle had covered about 1000 kms and was due for a service. “The car belongs to my niece and was due for a service. But before we could give it for service, we noticed smoke and flames near the steering column, following which we called the company dealer. They rectified the problem free of cost,” he said.

Dilip Desai, a technical expert on automobiles, said that there are live wires in vehicles even when they are parked and the ignition is switched off. “There are certain systems that are always live. If there is a leak in any of these systems, then there is a chance of a short circuit that can lead to such problems,” he said.

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal walked away with the Sports Person of the Year award for 2008-09, while world billiards champion Pankaj Advani and cricketer Virender Sehwag shared the honours for the year 2007-08 at the ninth PSPB Annual Awards.

The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) last night gave away the awards for two years 2007-08 and 2008-09 but the function lost some of its gloss as many awardees were not present at the function due to different reasons.

However, Advani, chess ace Abhijit Gupta, badminton players Shruti Kurien, Trupti Murgunde, India table tennis player Subhajit Saha among others were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, former India table tennis player Monalisa Mehta was conferred with the Life Time Achievement award for 2007-08 while ex-hockey goalkeeper Romeo James was given away the honour for 2008-09 season.

The Congress will form governments in Maharashtra and Arunachal, but appears to be heading for a fractured verdictin Haryana.

MAHARASHTRA

The Congress, along with its ally NCP, was poised to retain power in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly. Of the 269 results declared so far, the ruling combine has bagged 131, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance 87, MNS 13, Republican Left Democratic Front 12 and others 26.

The Congress-NCP alliance, which had won 140 seats in the last elections, may end up with almost the same figure and may not have problems in forming the government with the support of rebels of both the parties and independents.

The Sena-BJP leaders are attributing their loss to the Raj Thackeray-led MNS which made its maiden foray in the 288-member House.

“We lost because MNS ate into the traditional Shiv Sena votes,” BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde said.

As Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has made it clear that it will not stake claim to chief minister’s post, the process of government formation is likely to get speeded up, a senior Congress leader said.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan, in race for the top job, said the ruling alliance’s performance was due to the dynamic leadership of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and team work by Congress-NCP combine.

HARYANA

The Congress has fallen short of a majority in Haryana after results for all seats were declared.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Haryana assembly elections but was not able to get a clear victory. The party won 40 of the 90-member assembly seats, the INLD won 31, the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) won 6, the BJP 4 and Independents 7. The BSP won one seat in the state and Shiromani Akali Dal, an alliance partner of the INLD, won one.

For a simple majority in the assembly, the Congress needs 46 seats. It had won 67 seats in the February 2005 elections. .

While INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala won the Uchana Kalan seat defeating finance minister Birender Singh by a margin of 621 votes, his son Ajay Chautala emerged victorious from Dabwali defeating his cousin K V Singh of Congress.

Haryana Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana and transport minister Mange Ram Gupta lost from Mullana and Jind to INLD.

Among other prominent winners are HJC-BL chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, who won the Adampur and Haryana BJP President Krishan Pal Gujjar, who was declared elected from Tigaon.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

The ruling Congress party in Arunachal Pradesh will form the next government for the second straight term, having already won 38 of 60 assembly seats as counting of votes progressed Thursday.

Of the 55 results declared, the Congress party won 38 seats, Trinamool Congress won five seats, six by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), two by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and four by independents and candidates belonging to smaller regional parties.

The Congress is leading in four more seats, according to latest trends available.

“This is a victory for good governance and stability, besides all round development that we were able to bring to the state,” Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu told IANS.

“We thank the people of the state for giving us a chance to rule the state for yet another term.” Voting was held for 57 seats with three candidates already declared elected unopposed.

Khandu and two more ruling Congress members were declared elected unopposed – sitting MLA Tsewang Dhondup from Tawang constituency and debutant Jambey Tashi from the Lumla seat.

Khandu was elected unopposed from the Mukto constituency in Tawang district, bordering China, repeating his feat in the 1999 and 2004 assembly elections.

Voting for the 60-member assembly elections was held Oct 13 with an estimated 72 percent of the 750,000 electorate having exercised their franchise.

A total of 154 candidates were in the fray with the ruling Congress party fielding candidates in all the 60 seats.

Apart from the Congress party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) fielded 36 candidates, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 22 — although the surprise element was the Trinamool Congress with several candidates in the fray.

Of the Trinamool Congress nominees, five are former Congress party ministers and 10 are sitting MLAs from the ruling party who were denied tickets this time.